8 Bouts Signed for WEC 49

By: Brian KnappMay 4, 2010

Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com

World-ranked World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight Raphael
Assuncao will collide with the once-beaten Diego Nunes
in a preliminary matchup at WEC 49
“Varner vs. Shalorus” on June 20 at the Rexall Place in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Eight bouts are now official for the
event, which will serve as the promotion’s debut north of the
border.

Anchored at Ascension Mixed Martial Arts in Atlanta, Assuncao
submitted to a rear-naked choke from former WEC featherweight
champion Urijah Faber
four months ago, snapping a streak of six consecutive victories.
The 27-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has delivered more
than half (eight) of his 14 career wins by submission. His list of
victims includes “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semi-finalist
Joe
Lauzon and American Top Team’s Jorge
Masvidal.

Nunes, meanwhile, finds himself on the rebound for the first time
as a professional following his unanimous decision loss to L.C. Davis at
WEC 44 in November. A potent finisher, Nunes, 27, has secured 11 of
his 13 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or
submission. An undisclosed injury forced him to withdraw from a WEC
47 bout against Leonard
Garcia in March.

A protégé of Gokor
Chivichyan, Darabedyan trains alongside top featherweight
contender Manny
Gamburyan. The Armenian-born 23-year-old holds black belts in
judo, tae kwon do and karate and burst on the WEC in November, when
he defeated former lightweight champion “Razor” Rob
McCullough by split decision. Darabedyan has won seven of his
past eight fights but submitted to an armbar from Bart
Palaszewski at WEC 47 two months ago.

The Connecticut-based Kerr, 27, succumbed to first-round punches
from the unbeaten Kamal
Shalorus in his promotional debut at WEC 44 in November. Only
one of the Ring of Combat veteran’s last seven bouts has reached
the judges.